Take #24: Superman
Borrowing a page from the film writer/director James Gunn, I am gonna forego the introduction and get right to it. The movie was great! Easily the best Superman movie that we have had in the last 40 years.
Gunn’s approach is smart one. He gives us a Superman that is only three years into his career. This allows for him to be good, not great like he is so often portrayed. Let’s face it, at his peak, Superman can be kind of boring. I mean really, who is going to challenge him? What CAN’T he do? This movie sidesteps that by showing us that as good as he is, he is still new at this and had a lot to learn and that make for compelling, relatable storytelling.
No character is as important to Superman as Lois and Rachel Brosnahan delivers a phenomenal one. So often we are told that Lois is a great reporter but this is one of the few times we actually get to see it. In the comics, it takes Lois about 50 years to figure out Kal-El’s secret identity. She figured it out in less than three. And she is TOUGH. And she challenges Clark. She really gets under his skin and doesn’t pull punches. It makes sense that, off all the woman on the planet that would through themselves at him, she is the one that he in interested in. She even channels Margot Kidder a bit and give it her own charm.
Equally important to Superman is his arch nemesis is, Lex Luther. Nicholas Hoult plays him perfectly. He is smart. He is smug. He is petty. He is always scary. You can also see a lot of real life parallels in this Lex that all know to well. He is always two steps ahead and infuriating. Spot-on.
Ma and Pa Kent are a welcome departure of their previous incarnation too. They are especially simple, plain people. Martha is adorable and purposely lacks gravitas. She is isn’t making speeches and exuding wisdom. Neither does Jonathan. He is the polar opposite of the faux Pa Kent we got in the previous Superman film. He isn’t played by a big name Hollywood actor and is incredibly effective because of that. These two are a real Kanas couple that loves their son first and foremost. You get how he turns out the way he does having been raised by these people.
And there are the Metas. And there are several. Some might say there are too many but I disagree. They help flesh out this universe. Going back to the Reeves era, both George and Christopher, there are no other super beings in sight (unless they are the antagonist). The budget and limits of special effect probably factored heavily into the reason to exclude them. Here, there are none and including them greatly enhances everything. Special shout outs to Krypton and Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific how absolutely stole the show! There are even a couple of welcomed surprises that I loved.
And onto the man himself: David Corenswet was awesome. The Henry Cavill cult was busting this guy’s chops at every turn, but his Superman was the Blue Boy Scout that he should be. He’s not smarky. He’s not a jerk. He’s altruistic and very much his parents child. He is inspirational. He is fallible. He is looks out for his fellow man. Let’s not forget, he IS a foreigner in a strange land, created by two you Jewish guys. He is Superman.
And the suit looks darn good on him!
There is color his this movie. There is action, astonishing special effect. Heart. And a cute dog. What more could you ask for?
This wasn’t my typical type of review but I was a kid all over again watching this so everything is out the window.
My score: 9.9. There are a couple of teeny tiny quibbles I had but not enough to take me out and this makes me hopeful for what the DCU will do next.
Thoughts? Any Cavill/Snyder fanatics want to inject your kryptonite to much gushing? Hit those comments.
And until next time…
